Karnataka corners 224 PPP projects

With over 224 infrastructure projects involving an investment of Rs. 1.39 lakh crore currently underway, the Karnataka has showed the way to other states in the public-private partnership (PPP) projects. So much so impressed by the remarkable headway the state has made in road infrastructure, the central government has recently provided a corpus of an additional funds of Rs. 500 crore to the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited to give further boost to the on going infrastructure projects.

According to the Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development, V Madhu, the transportation sector, particularly road development is a major area of interest for private investors using the PPP route and that 20 per cent of the projects are in various stages of procurement. In addition to roads, the high speed rail project to ink the city with the Bangalore International Airport is in full swing and the process for the 33,296 kms rail linkd is likely to be finalized by August this year.

Similarly, the state has also decided to set up a monorail project in the city and it would consist of four smaller projects, covering 60 km in the city connecting southern, western and northern fringes of the city to the high speed rail network as well as the Bangalore Metro network that are underway. Other infrastructure projects which are on the anvil are the Devanahalli Business Park and the massive plan to build 10,000 km of roads. The tendering process of the project has already commenced and the deadline of June 30 is likely to be extended, he added.

27 June 2009